


Sunoo and the Phantoms

by gemxblossom



Category: ENHYPEN (Band)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Fluff and Crack, Friends to Lovers, Ghostie bois, Julie and the Phantoms AU, M/M, Sunseung ENDGAME, there will be a happy ending y'all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29905011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemxblossom/pseuds/gemxblossom
Summary: "How come we've never crossed paths before?” Sunoo wondered. Heeseung looked at him.It was late in the evening now and darkness had already fallen over the yard, leaving them illuminated only in the dim glow offered by the full moon. It reflected off of Heeseung’s gleaming hair and intense eyes, and Sunoo thought in that moment, the boy looked more like an angel than a ghost.“We’ve crossed paths now,” Heeseung said huskily.“So we have.”
Relationships: Kim Sunoo/Lee Heeseung, Kim Sunoo/Park Sunghoon, Park Jongseong | Jay/Yang Jungwon, Park Sunghoon/Sim Jaeyun | Jake
Comments: 15
Kudos: 41





	1. There's a Ghost Band in my Garage

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, here is my humble offering to the Sunseung community~ 
> 
> I fr suck at summaries but if Impediment and Silent Songbird had a baby it would be this fic lmfao  
> Also it's heavily based on the Netflix show "Julie and the Phantoms" but will prob stray away from the original plot quite a bit

There were three boys standing in Sunoo’s garage.

The first thing that Sunoo noticed was that they were very, very, cute. The next thing he realized was that they most definitely were not real, given the fact that they had just materialized out of nowhere in front of his very eyes.

He wondered if this was one of the side effects of grief Dr. Shin had talked to him about. He had been missing his mom, sure, and most nights he dealt with it by eating pints of ice cream with his dad while bawling his eyes out to some heartfelt rom-com. Hallucinations, though? That was new.

Sunoo squeezed his eyes shut. He pinched his arm. _Wake up, wake up._

When he opened his eyes, the three phantoms would be gone, and Sunoo would wake up in his bed and realize that his whole day up until now had been a dream.

He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes.

**_Eight hours earlier_ **

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The sound of his blaring alarm pulled Sunoo out of the dream he had been having. He groaned, flopping over to stare at the ceiling. It had been a good dream.

He had been in the garage with his mother, the garage that functioned as her music studio. His father had sold his car years and years ago and started taking the bus to work, insisting that it was the more eco-friendly option. Sunoo suspected he just wanted to give the space to her.

They’d been sitting side by side at the piano, Sunoo sightreading the chords she’d scrawled on a piece of paper for him, while she sang in her high, clear voice. His mother had always written the most beautiful songs. He wanted to sing with her forever.

He hadn’t sang at all since she died.

Sunoo’s phone buzzed with a text from Jungwon. He checked it, and his heart dropped. Speaking of not singing for over _a year_ , his friend had just reminded him that today was his last chance to re-audition and save his seat in the music program.

They’d been lenient with him for as long as they could, but even he understood that there was no space in the music program for someone who didn’t make music anymore.

Today could go one of two ways: he’d magically find his voice and blow everyone away, securing his spot, or he would choke in front of everyone. Despite wanting to be optimistic, he knew the latter possibility was highly more likely.

He sighed and swung his feet over the edge of his bed and began getting ready for school. Today was going to be an eventful day, for better or for worse.

—

“Seriously? Park Sunghoon _still_?”

“Can’t a boy dream?” Sunoo sighed hopelessly. Sunghoon’s locker was just ten or so down from his, close enough to stare, but far enough away that it wasn’t obvious. Of course the downside was that he got a full view of Sunghoon’s boyfriend as well.

Jungwon clicked his tongue in dissaproval. “Worry your pretty little head about keeping your spot in the music program first, then you can daydream about boys you’ll never have.”

“Have you so little faith in me?” Sunoo pouted.

“I have faith in the fact that he and Jake are definitely gonna get married and have a litter of children.”

Sunoo wrinkled his nose. “Ugh, don’t put the image of Jakehoon babies in my head.”

“Don’t ever say Jakehoon again,” Jungwon shuddered. “Ship names are so cringey.”

Sunoo snorted. “You literally tweeted ‘Name a more iconic duo than Sunwon’ just last night.”

Jungwon swung an arm over his shoulders, pulling him around so that their backs were now turned on the school’s most popular couple. “We are the exception, Ddeonu, not the rule,” he stated. “What’s so special about him anyway? I mean, sure he’s eye candy but…”

“Sunghoon is a sweetheart,” Sunoo protested.

Jungwon raised an eyebrow at him. “And you know this from all the riveting conversations you’ve had together,” he said dryly.

“He’s a talented cellist?” Sunoo tried.

“Well if you want to continue seeing his cute ass playing the cello everyday, you need to save _your_ cute ass from getting kicked out of the program,” Jungwon said, swatting him on the butt.

“Wonie!” Sunoo reprimanded, scandalized.

“What?” The boy asked innocently. He grinned. “You got this, Sun. Go get em, tiger.”

—

The last ringing notes of the cello faded away, and Sunghoon stood up with a bow. Sunoo clapped enthusiastically, even as the butterflies in his stomach grew into a full on swarm.

“Wonderful as always, Sunghoon-ssi. And up next, we have… Kim Sunoo?”

Everyone’s heads turned towards him in curious expectation. He gulped, and stood up from his chair, sheet music in hand. The papers rustled as they shook in his trembling grasp. As Sunghoon passed by him to retake his seat, he smiled at Sunoo in acknowledgment. It did nothing to soothe his nerves.

He slowly took a seat at the piano. He propped the music up on the stand, then stared down at the keyboard. His mind was a flurry of thoughts, yet he felt like he was blanking. What was he doing here? How could he have even thought to try? He hadn’t even practiced in a year. He was a joke.

He stood up abruptly, the bench screeching painfully on the linoleum floor. “I’m sorry,” he said to his teacher. She looked at him sorrowfully. They both knew that this was the last chance she could give him. He fled the room.

Jungwon buried his face in his hands. Park Sunghoon stared after him, a small, worried frown on his face.

—

“Sunoo.”

Sunoo looked up from where he’d been poking mindlessly at his food, the debacle of earlier still playing in his head in a mortifying loop. “Hmm?” He mumbled distractedly.

His father cleared his throat awkwardly, which Sunoo recognized as a telltale sign that he was about to touch on an uncomfortable subject. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “There’s a lot of… clutter, in the garage,” he phrased carefully. “I thought it would be a good idea to clean it up a bit, maybe move some stuff up to the attic.”

Sunoo nodded slowly, wondering where he was going with this. Was he trying to ask for Sunoo’s permission?

“I wouldn’t know where to begin,” his father continued. “I thought it would be a good idea for you to do it—” Sunoo froze, “It could be a healing process even,” he said hopefully. Sunoo looked down at the table.

He hadn’t been in the studio in a year. He hadn’t taken even a step inside, or touched anything since his mother died. That included the piano, which was why he had failed so spectacularly today. But his father seemed so optimistic that he couldn’t say no. And if the studio was going to be cleaned out either way, he preferred it to be done by him.

“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll take a look.”

His father’s face split into a grin and he reached over to ruffle Sunoo’s hair. “That’s my boy,” he said proudly. Sunoo wondered how quickly that proud look would slip off his face once he found out that Sunoo had lost his place in the music program today.

Sunoo grabbed the rusted handles of the double doors that had gone unopened for so long. They gave way with a loud, creaking groan, and the studio was finally revealed to him once again, like greeting an old friend.

He stepped inside apprehensively. It felt familiar and strange all at once. Familiar, because he had practically grown up here, and strange because it felt so empty. So lifeless.

He scanned the area, taking into account all the things he remembered. There was the grand piano, pushed against one side of the large room. Next to it was the drum set, now coated in a thick layer of dust. On the opposite side was a long couch and table, where Sunoo’s mother would often find him dozing after falling asleep in here by accident.

Guitars, both electric and acoustic hung from the walls like brightly painted trophies, and sheet music littered every flat surface. Sunoo sneezed. He really had to dust the place.

His eyes watered, and it took him a moment to realize it wasn’t a reaction to the mustiness of the room. “Mom,” he said out loud. His voice wobbled. “Are you here?”

Silence- of course she wasn’t. The place was abandoned, empty. But part of him still hoped that her spirit was lurking around here somewhere, that she was still living in the lines of the sheet music and in the steel strings of the guitars. He would sit down at the piano and press his fingers to the keys, and she would appear beside him, singing softly and weaving her voice with his, just like they’d always done. It was a nice dream to have.

“If you’re here,” he choked out, “send me a sign.”

He waited. Nothing happened. His mother didn’t appear. He didn’t hear the faint sound of her voice calling to him from the distance. No heavenly light shone down on him with a message from her.

He was disappointed, but not surprised. Things like “signs” didn’t happen in real life. Once people were gone, they were gone. Whatever connection this room had that tied him to his mother had been severed, snapped like the broken string of a violin.

The studio was crowded with heaps upon heaps of cardboard boxes, all filled to the brim with assorted stuff. That was new. He assumed his father had gathered everything and organized it into containers, but had yet to sort or move it anywhere. That job was apparently up to him now.

With a sigh, Sunoo made his way over to the couch, collapsing onto it. The regret came immediately as a cloud of dust billowed up around him. He gagged, struggling to hack the particles back up out of his lungs.

He started with the nearest box, the one sitting right on the table in front of him. He pulled it closer and looked inside. The first thing he noticed, sitting at the very top, was yet another cluster of sheet music. He shuffled it into a neat pile and set it aside.

The next two things caught his attention. There was a white t-shirt, a size too big for him, and it looked completely plain. On closer inspection however, there was something written on the back, two letters.

**EN-**

Sunoo squinted, trying to make sense of it, then shook his head, and that too, he tossed aside. The other thing was a CD. It was in a blank case, and when he opened it up, the CD itself had no label either, just a pretty gradient print that reminded him of the sky at dusk.

He looked at it curiously. Because he figured he might as well have some background music while he cleaned, he stood up and popped it into the CD player, pressing play. The sound of a string instrument— maybe a harp?— started playing, and Sunoo’s ears perked up. It was a nice hook.

~ _Wake up in day, one_ ~

Sunoo closed his eyes and listened. He didn’t know why his mother had the CD of some random band, but their lead singer’s voice was stunning. He relaxed and gave himself in to the music.

Suddenly, he heard a noise that was definitely _not_ part of the song. It sounded like faint screaming, and as Sunoo listened it grew louder and louder, like it was coming closer.

He flung his eyes open just as three boys materialized out of thin air and flopped onto the floor like dead fish. They rolled around, groaning. 

Sunoo stared, wide eyed. He closed his eyes, willing himself to wake up. But when he opened them, they were still there. 

The three apparitions pulled each other to their feet with a huff, straightening their clothes, which consisted of ripped jeans and muscle tanks and leather jackets. The tallest one had shaggy black hair, while the two others were bleached, one an ashy blonde, the other a platinum dyed undercut. Silver chains dangled from their belt loops and from around their necks.

They looked like they’d teleported straight from the aisle of a Hot Topic into Sunoo’s garage.

Platinum Undercut was the first one to notice Sunoo sitting there, and he looked at him in surprise, as if he wasn’t the one who had just fallen from the sky. The eye contact was what finally jolted Sunoo to his senses and he let out a shrill scream.

“AHHHHHH!!!” Platinum screamed back at him. Ash Blonde and the black-haired boy winced and covered their ears as Sunoo and their companion yelled in each other’s faces for a good thirty seconds.

Sunoo tried to scramble backwards, but the backs of his knees hit the couch and he collapsed into another cloud of dust. The intruders looked at him in curiosity as he started coughing furiously, holding his fingers up in the shape of a cross.

“What are you doing in our studio?” Platinum asked, looking extremely casual for someone who had just been shrieking at such a high pitch that dogs all over the neighborhood had turned their heads.

“ _Your_ studio?! This is my mom’s studio,” Sunoo exclaimed around coughs.

“Ahhh,” the black-haired one said, a look of understanding dawning on his face. “Well, our band uses this place to practice sometimes,” he explained. He stepped forward with his hand held out. “I’m Heeseung by the way.”

Sunoo shoved his finger cross in his face, and Heeseung flinched back, his hands held up in surrender. “What the hell do you mean you practice here? Nobody has been here in over a year,” Sunoo spluttered. Nothing about this situation was making sense right now.

“Hyung, maybe we should formally introduce ourselves,” Ash Blonde said, nudging Heeseung. The boy nodded.

“One, two,” he counted off, “We are… Enhypen!” All three shouted in unison.

“Bless you,” Sunoo said.

“No!” Platinum cried. “Enhypen is the name of our band. I’m Jay, the best guitarist in the world,” he said with a grin.

“You’re not even the best guitarist in Enhypen,” Ash Blonde snorted. Jay smacked him, and gave him a pointed look. “Niki,” the boy mumbled his introduction with a roll of his eyes. “Drummer.”

Sunoo let out a loud groan. “Why do I need to learn your names if you’re not even real?”

“Excuse me?” Jay said, looking affronted.

“We _are_ real,” Heeseung insisted. “We’re just dead.” He scrunched his brows together. “It _is_ strange that you can see us though. Are you a ghost whisperer or something?”

“Dead?!” Sunoo shrieked.

“We died last night,” Jay informed him.

“W-What happened?” Sunoo questioned, wondering why he was even entertaining that any of this could be plausible. He whipped out his phone and began typing in a panic.

“Well see, we don’t really remember,” Niki said, “but I suspect that Jay finally annoyed us all to death.”

“It says here you were in a car crash,” Sunoo said, staring at the headline that had popped up. So they were a real band after all. He had only found one obscure article detailing the incident, and there was no follow up story. But there it was, their band name, and an accompanying photo of three faces which perfectly matched the people in front of him. He could hardly believe it.

“Ah that makes more sense.”

“But you didn’t die last night,” Sunoo continued, “this article was written three years ago.”

“What?! Three years ago?” Jay exclaimed. “But we were just about to perform last night…” He trailed off, his face pinched as he tried to figure out just what had happened.

“Well three years have passed since your “last night,’” Sunoo said apologetically. “It’s 2021.” All three boys’ jaws dropped. “Look,” he sighed. “I’m really sorry about what happened to you, but you need to leave.”

“Leave?” Niki said forlornly. “We have nowhere else to go.”

“This place means a lot to us,” Heeseung said, presenting Sunoo with puppy dog eyes that _almost_ had an effect on him.

Sunoo’s mouth twisted bitterly. “Yeah well, it means a lot to me too.” He cast his eyes up to the ceiling. “I asked my mom for a sign,” he said in disbelief. “And instead I get sent three punk rock himbos?”

“What’s a himbo?” Jay asked curiously.

Niki pointed to something propped up against one of the walls. “That.”

Jay looked at it and frowned. “That’s a mirror,” he said uncomprehendingly.

Heeseung looked at Sunoo in exasperation. “He’s good at guitar,” he explained.

“I’m sure,” Sunoo replied dryly.

“Look, Sunoo-ssi,” Heeseung addressed him. In his ongoing daze, Sunoo failed to notice that the ghost somehow knew his name. “We’ll clear out soon. Just… can we have a moment to say goodbye?”

Sunoo bit his lip, then nodded. “You have until tomorrow,” he said. He pointed a finger at them in warning. “Just don’t break anything.”

“I don’t know if that’s even possible,” Jay informed him cheerfully.

Sunoo rolled his eyes and slowly backed out of the garage. “This is so freaking weird,” he muttered to himself, still not entirely convinced he wasn’t dreaming. He glanced back one last time at the ghost band. Jay gave him a little wave, Heeseung smiled at him, and Niki was already off inspecting the drum set in fascination.

Sunoo shut the door.

“Did you have a productive cleaning session?” His dad asked him when he stepped back into the house.

“Yeah,” Sunoo grumbled. “Real productive.” He paused. “Dad,” he said. “Have you heard of a band called Enhypen?”

His father frowned. “Enhypen? It sounds familiar. I don’t know. What are some of their songs?”

Sunoo opened his mouth to say that truthfully he had no idea either, when the sound of loud rock music suddenly came blasting from the direction of the garage. He froze.

“What the hell is that noise?” His dad blurted.

“I was playing some music on the speakers, I must have forgotten to turn it off,” Sunoo stuttered frantically. “I’ll go do that right now.” He dashed back out the front door towards the studio, not bothering to see if his father had bought his half-assed excuse or not.

He flung the garage door open with a bang. “Are you out of your goddamn minds?!!”

Three heads turned towards him in unison, and the music stopped. Heeseung and Jay muted the strings of their instruments, and Niki froze with his drumsticks hanging in the air.

“Do you realize the whole neighborhood can hear you?” Sunoo cried.

Heeseung frowned. “People can… hear us?”

“Yeah, that’s generally what happens when you’re banging on the drums loud enough to wake the dead,” he retorted. He realized something. “How are you doing that anyway?”

Niki shrugged. “These are our instruments. I guess we can touch whatever is ours.”

Heeseung clutched at his bass guitar, something like mounting excitement in his eyes. “Do any of you realize what this means?” He asked them.

“That Sunoo wants us to shut up?” Jay suggested.

“No,” Heeseung said exasperatedly.

“ _Yes_ ,” Sunoo interjected.

“It means we can still play music,” the bassist carried on. “We can make music, and people can _hear_ it.” He grinned, a giddy smile that took up half of his face. _He really is cute._ Sunoo quickly knocked the intrusive thought out of his mind. “We may be dead, but Enhypen isn’t.”

Silence fell over all of them, as Jay and Niki fell into contemplative shock.

“I need some air,” Sunoo mumbled, suddenly feeling lightheaded. He stumbled out of the garage in a trance.

He didn’t want to rain on their parade, but he couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t fair. Why did they get to come back as ghosts, and be able to touch their instruments? Why not his mother? He leaned against the wooden fence of his yard, sucking in deep breaths.

“She talks about you a lot you know.”

Sunoo jumped in surprise, not noticing that Heeseung had snuck up behind him. He cocked his head in question. “Your mother,” the boy explained. “She mentions her son Sunoo all the time. I assume you’re him.”

Sunoo nodded, too shocked to speak. Heeseung smiled warmly. “She’s an incredibly talented songwriter. She inspires me — all of us actually.”

“Was,” Sunoo said quietly. “She was.” Heeseung looked at him in question. “She passed away.”

Heeseung’s face fell. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Sunoo would have said that there was no need for the forced words of comfort, but something about the boy’s expression told him that he was belatedly mourning the loss of his mother too. He wondered what connection she had with these three strangers.

“How did you know my mother? How did you use our studio?” He asked.

Heeseung sighed, and joined him in resting his chin on the fence. He had a faraway look on his face as he slipped into a state of recollection. “She found us playing at some lame gig one night,” he said in a soft voice, lost in memory. “It was the only one we could manage to book, and we were desperate, especially since I…” He cleared his throat.

“Anyway, I guess she really liked our set and she told us not to give up our passion for music. Honestly, that night was our last hope. Hardly anyone showed up, nobody was listening to us— we probably wouldn’t have continued on if we hadn’t met her.” Sunoo listened intently, fascinated by any story about his mother that he didn’t already know.

“She gave us her business card and told us if we ever needed a place to practice, this studio was open to us. We took her up on the offer, and she basically became our mentor.”

Sunoo took a moment to absorb this information. “If you were coming over all the time, how come we never crossed paths before?” He wondered. Heeseung looked at him.

There was something about Heeseung’s face that was so open and honest, that Sunoo couldn’t help but stare. It was late in the evening now and darkness had already fallen over the yard, leaving them illuminated only in the dim glow offered by the full moon. It reflected off of Heeseung’s gleaming hair and intense eyes, and Sunoo thought in that moment, the boy looked more like an angel than a ghost.

“We’ve crossed paths now,” Heeseung said huskily.

“So we have,” Sunoo replied in a hushed voice. He looked away, unable to maintain eye contact anymore. His heart was beating erratically in his chest, and like everything else that had happened today, he had no explanation for it. He licked his lips. “If you guys have nowhere else to go,” he said, “you can— you can stay here.”

He hesitantly looked back at Heeseung to see the boy still staring at him intensely, this time with immense gratitude etched onto his face. “Thank you, Sunoo,” he said in earnest. Sunoo nodded awkwardly.

“Well, I should,” he ran a hand through his hair in nervous habit, “I should call it a night,” he said. Heeseung nodded. “Well. Good night.” He turned to leave.

“Sunoo.”

Sunoo whipped back around. “Hm?”

“There was sheet music for a song on the coffee table,” Heeseung told him. Sunoo remembered the stack of paper he had set aside after opening the box. “I took a closer look and it’s from your mom. Addressed to you. I thought you should know.”

Sunoo sucked in a breath. He wondered how he had missed that. “Thank you,” he said to Heeseung genuinely.

The ghost smiled at him. “Of course.”

The next morning, Sunoo woke up earlier than he usually would, even for a school day. He headed outside to the garage with mounting trepidation.

The sheet music was on the coffee table like Heeseung had said, right where he left it. He picked it up, and finally inspected it closely.

_To Sunoo-ah,_

_Let your voice be heard. I’m always here, listening to you._

_Love, mom_

He breathed deeply, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over. He made his way over to the piano, still covered in a white sheet. He swept it off carefully, having learned his lesson, and brushed off as much dust as he could in small movements, so that it wouldn’t fly up into his face.

Somehow, placing his hands on the keys of this piano felt easier. This piano wasn’t a stranger to him like the one in the music room at school was. This piano had grown up with him, sang with him, laughed with him, cried with him. After his mother was gone, the sight of this piano had broken him down into pieces, and maybe now it would put him back together again.

With his eyes following the notes his mother had meticulously penned for him with love and care, he began to play. He scanned over the lyrics written out over the lines of accompaniment, and hesitated. And then he began to sing.

~ _If I fall onto the ground_

_And my wings cannot be found_

_You’ll be there for me to hold_

_And I know you’ll fly me home ~_

Standing just outside the door of the garage, his father listened with tears in his eyes.

Not far away, three ghosts stood, entranced by the voice of an angel that belonged to the only boy in the world who could see them.

The boy wasn’t aware of any of this. He was lost in his own world, a world created for him by the person he loved the most. He was making music with her.

For the first time since his mother died, Sunoo felt alive again.


	2. I Think I've Found My Soulmate

“Wow,” Jay said in awe. “Sunoo can really sing.”

Heeseung nodded. “Yeah, he can,” he said softly.

“That was such a touching moment,” Jay sighed. “Sunoo finally got to sing his mother’s song for him.” He perked up. “We should give him a hug!”

“Did you miss the part where he hates us?” Niki remarked.

“Hate is such a strong word. At most, he strongly dislikes us,” Jay said thoughtfully.

“No,” Niki argued, “strong dislike is what I feel for you, and that’s me as your friend. Sunoo definitely hates us.”

“Will you two shut up,” Heeseung scowled. “He doesn’t hate us.” His face softened. “He was just wishing we were someone else, that’s all.”

“So… no hugs?”

“No hugs,” Heeseung confirmed, as Niki started edging slowly away from Jay. He looked in the direction of the garage. “Give him space. This isn’t a moment for us to intrude on.”

No sooner had he said the words, when an intruder came hurtling through the yard right past their noses. The boy of course, didn’t see them.

“Kim Sunoo!” The stranger shrieked. “Get out here right now!”

The boys ducked behind a bush as Sunoo exited the studio, looking bewildered.

“What is it, Jungwon?” He asked, apparently on a first name basis with the intruder.

The boy was panting hard, his cheeks flushed with exertion. Next to them, Jay sucked in a breath. “Guys,” he whispered.

“Shhh!” Niki hissed.

“ _Guys.”_

“What?!” Heeseung snapped.

Jay looked at them, wide-eyed. “I think I’ve found my soulmate.”

“What part of ’Sunoo definitely hates us’ failed to make its way into your stupid blonde head?” Niki asked. Heeseung glared at both of them, willing them to shut up.

“You’re blonde too,” Jay retorted. “And I meant his _friend._ ”

“Sunoo, if you leave the music program I may as well drop out of school,” the friend in question cried. “I’ll have zero friends and I’ll become a hermit, a shell of myself, and I’ll look back on this day ten years from now and say ah yes, that’s when my best friend abandoned me and left me for dead.”

Heeseung and Niki looked back and forth between Sunoo’s friend and their friend, who looked absolutely smitten by the former’s wailed dramatics. “There’s two of them,” Niki muttered. “Great.”

“Wonie, calm down,” Sunoo said with a laugh, cutting off the boy’s rant. He smiled excitedly. “I just sang and played the piano again.”

Jungwon gaped at him. “You— really?! This is amazing!” He exclaimed, bouncing up and down. He grabbed Sunoo’s hands and spun them both around in a circle. In a matter of seconds, his demeanor had made a complete 180. 

“Wow. He’s…”

“Adorable?” Jay said dreamily. “I agree.”

“I was gonna say hyper,” Niki muttered.

“How are you going to get your seat back back though?” Jungwon said, pulling back with a frown.

Sunoo sighed. “That’s the part I’ll have to figure out. C’mon Wonie,” he slung an arm over the boy’s shoulders, “let’s get to school.”

After the two students disappeared from sight, the band finally emerged from their hiding spot.

“Was it really necessary for us to hide?” Heeseung asked. “Only Sunoo can see us.”

“Yeah, and Sunoo is the one we should be scared of,” Niki replied. He reconsidered with a small shiver. “Actually, I’m a bit scared of his friend too.”

“I love him,” Jay proclaimed. A second later he cried out in pain, rubbing his shoulder where Niki had just smacked him. “How come that hurt?! I’m a ghost,” he complained.

“I guess ghost on ghost violence is permitted,” Heeseung said in amusement.

“You’re just bitter cause you’ll die alone,” Jay said petulantly.

“I already did,” Niki deadpanned. “And so did you.” Heeseung winced at the unfortunate truth.

“Mark my words,” Jay said, staring both of them down with a finger in their face. “I, Park Jongseong, am going to win that boy’s heart.”

\---

“I’m sorry, Sunoo,” his teacher sighed. Sunoo’s heart dropped as he heard the exact words he had been expecting. “It’s too late. Yesterday was your last chance, and we already have a transfer student lined up who’ll be filling your spot.” She looked at him sympathetically. “I’m truly sorry.”

“I understand,” he said, trying not to appear too crestfallen. It wasn’t her fault, it was his. He had found his voice again, but not soon enough.

“You could always reapply next semester,” she told him optimistically, and he nodded. He didn’t know what he was going to do until then. Jungwon would definitely kill him if he had to go four months alone.

He exited the music room, on the search for his overemotional friend to break the news.

“Sunoo!”

Sunoo yelped loudly, and his backpack fell off his shoulder with a thump. He noticed a few people turning around to look at him strangely, which he felt was unfair since he’d just been _accosted_ , until he turned around and saw Heeseung.

“What are you doing here?!” he exclaimed. He stooped down to pick up his fallen bag.

Heeseung shrugged. “It gets boring being a ghost. Maybe I want to experience the high school life again,” he said with a grin. Sunoo rolled his eyes.

“Just because you’re bored, doesn’t mean you can—” He cut himself off abruptly as he spied none other than Park Sunghoon walking down the hall, heading straight for him. He quickly straightened his clothes and combed through his hair, putting on an easygoing smile as Sunghoon came to a stop in front of him.

“Kim Sunoo,” he greeted with a smile.

“Sunghoon!” Sunoo said a bit too loudly. “Hi.”

Heeseung looked at the newcomer in curiosity. “Who’s this pretty boy?” He commented. He suddenly started patting down his hair and fiddling with his collar frantically. “Do I look okay for him?” He asked Sunoo dramatically, his eyes wide in imitation.

“I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you’re okay,” Sunghoon said, as Sunoo resolutely ignored the ghost’s mockery. “I was really looking forward to hearing you sing yesterday.”

Sunoo was surprised to find that the boy sounded truly genuine, and a warm feeling filled his chest. Sunghoon really was a sweetheart. “I’m fine,” he told him with an awkward chuckle. “I’ll probably have to re-apply next semester though.”

Sunghoon’s face seemed to fall in disappointment. “Oh. Well, you’ll be missed,” he said.

“Sunoo, don’t leave me!” Heeseung cried, popping up beside Sunghoon. “Who will swoon at my feet when you’re gone?” He wailed, before collapsing in a heap in front of the unaware cellist.

“Shut up,” Sunoo hissed through gritted teeth.

Sunghoon blinked. “Excuse me?”

Sunoo’s mouth parted in horror. “Nooo,” he backtracked. “I mean— shut up! I doubt anyone will notice my absence that much,” he said through a pained laugh.

Sunghoon’s face softened. “I definitely will,” he said. The bell rang, and both boys looked up at the offending noise. “Well I look forward to seeing you next semester,” Sunghoon said with a crooked grin. “Maybe we can duet.”

“Of course,” Sunoo said quickly, his face flaming. Sunghoon saluted him in goodbye, and turned to head to his next class. Sunoo stared after him, trying to process that he had just had a full conversation with his long time crush. It was hard to determine whether it had gone disastrously or not.

“Did I nearly blow your chances?” Heeseung asked him giddily from the ground. Sunoo glared at him murderously, and tried to kick him but as expected, his foot passed right through. The ghost rolled away and jumped to his feet, laughing.

“I have no chance,” Sunoo said glumly.

“That’s not the kind of attitude that gets you back into the music program,” Heeseung sing-songed.

“Well that's not happening either,” he sighed. “And I mean he’s taken.”

“So what?” Heeseung said mildly. “You can find plenty of boys like that, if you're into that sort of thing. All looks, no substance.”

Sunoo looked at him in offense. “He’s a talented musician,” he protested.

“I’m a talented musician,” Heeseung shot back. Sunoo blinked at him and the ghost cleared his throat, looking away. “I mean, there’s lots of talented musicians out there. Pick one who’s single,” he grumbled.

“Thanks, I’ll get on that,” Sunoo said sarcastically.

“Get to class,” Heeseung quipped, “before you’re kicked out of school altogether.” With those last words, he disappeared.

\---

“Where have you been?” Niki asked him.

“Out and about,” was Heeseung's vague answer. Jay looked at him inquiringly. “I went to school,” he admitted.

“School?” Niki snorted. “Since when do you- oh, you went to see Sunoo, huh?” 

“No,” Heeseung said indignantly. Both Jay and Niki looked at him in skepticism. “Learning is my passion,” he insisted.

“Learn to lie more convincingly,” Niki snickered.

“Where are we, anyway?” Heeseung wondered, looking around the place that his friends had summoned him to. He knew that Niki had been intent on seeing his parents again. “I remember you had a beach-side house. There’s the beach,” he observed. “But I don’t see any houses.”

They walked around in confusion, exploring the famiiar yet completely foreign place. It was amazing how much could change in just three years. Niki suddenly came to a halt. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Isn’t that where your house was?” Jay said.

The building they were looking at was definitely not anyone’s house anymore. “Maybe your parents always wanted to open a jet-ski rental shop,” Heeseung suggested.

“My father is a lawyer,” Niki said flatly.

“It’s never too late to follow your dream,” said Jay.

Niki let out a loud groan. “How am I supposed to find them now? They could’ve moved anywhere,” he lamented.

Jay patted him comfortingly. He sighed. “I wish I had my guitar right now. I’d serenade you to cheer you up.”

Niki looked at him weirdly. “I think I’m good,” he said.

“Hey, why wouldn’t you— AGH!” Jay was flung off his feet and landed flat on his back as his guitar materialized out of nowhere and pummeled him straight in the chest. He moaned in pain. “What the hell?!”

Heeseung and Niki stared down at him in awe. Niki held out his hands, palms open, and closed his eyes. “I wish for world domination,” he said. Nothing happened.

“We can only interact with things that already belonged to us, remember?” Heeseung reminded him.

Niki’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “One day,” he mumbled, as Heeseung eyed him warily.

Jay got to his feet, and started strumming his guitar in delight. “This is amazing,” he remarked. “We’ve practically got superpowers now.” He played a little solo from one of their songs, and Heeseung found himself beginning to hum along.

Niki squinted. “Are people looking at us?” Sure enough, the people passing by were looking around and seemed to be reacting to their little jam session.

“They can hear us,” Heeseung realized. “Just like when we were playing in Sunoo’s garage.”

“Load of good that does us,” Niki commented. “You can’t tip an invisible busker.”

Heeseung scowled. “It’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about the music.”

“It’s a little bit about the money,” Niki said.

“I like money,” Jay contributed, still riffing on his instrument.

“Guys, _listen to me._ ” Both boys stopped and looked at Heeseung. “Do you not realize what we’ve been given? We can go anywhere in the world, play for _anyone_ , and they can hear us. This is what we were born to do, and we’ve been given the opportunity to do it, even in death.” He finished his rant and looked at his friends expectantly.

“Enha?” Jay said with a grin.

“Enha,” Niki echoed.

“ _Hypen!”_

The three boys trotted along the length of the boardwalk for the rest of the afternoon, singing and playing, turning heads as they went.

\---

“So,” Jungwon said around a mouthful of food as he inhaled his dinner. “I heard you had an actual, two-sided conversation with Sunghoon today.”

“Who’s Sunghoon?” Sunoo’s father asked curiously.

“No one,” Sunoo replied quickly, giving his friend a kick under the table in warning.

“He’s the dreamy cellist slash captain of the basketball team that Sunoo’s been drooling over,” Jungwon said anyway, completely tossing best friend confidentiality out the window.

“Wonie,” Sunoo hissed.

“Oh?” His father said, a smile playing on his lips. “Young love?”

“Not unless he wants to be a homewrecker,” Jungwon snickered. “So what did he want to talk to you about? Did he leave Jake because he suddenly realized it’s you he’s been in love with all along?”

“That’ll never happen,” Sunoo mumbled. He stabbed at his soggy ramen distractedly. His mother had been an incredible cook, but it was a talent neither him nor his father shared. Sometimes Jungwon brought over leftovers from his place, but for the most part they weren’t exactly having gourmet meals these days. Still tasty though. “He just wanted to ask me if I was okay,” he told Jungwon.

“If you’re okay?” The boy asked quizzically. His brows lifted as understanding dawned on him. “Ohhhh, you mean since you got dropped?”

“Dropped from what?”

Jungwon froze, and Sunoo leveled him with a glare that, if looks could kill, would have provided Enhypen with its fourth member.

“Um,” Jungwon said. “You know what. I’ve got lots of homework to get to,” he said, nodding hastily as he stood up from the table. “I will catch you later, Sunoo. Mr. Sunoo,” he nodded at them both before fleeing the house.

His father looked at him expectantly. Sunoo sighed. “I was going to tell you,” he said.

“Were you?”

“I was!” He insisted. “I lost my spot in the program,” he admitted, and winced as his father’s face fell. He hurriedly continued. “But! I’m going to figure out how to get it back. Just let me figure it out,” he said.

His father smiled at him wistfully and placed his hand over Sunoo’s. “I trust you, Sunoo-ah. But tell me- you still love music, right?”

“Of course,” he replied honestly. “More than anything.”

His father nodded. “Good. Then music program or not, as long as you keep doing what you love, I will always support you. You know that, right?”

“I know, dad,” Sunoo said quietly, wondering how he had gotten lucky enough to be blessed with two of the most amazing parents in the world. “I know.”

—

Sunoo entered his room, closing the door behind him and flicking the lights on. For the second time that day, he jumped out of his skin.

“Hello,” Jay greeted pleasantly.

Sunoo snapped his fingers at Niki. “Off my bed. Now.” The ghost scrambled to his feet, thankfully leaving the sheets completely unrumpled.

“Haven’t you guys ever heard of privacy?” Sunoo said in annoyance. “This is crossing so many lines right now.” He pointed at Heeseung. “You’ve already poked your nose around in my business enough today.” The singer looked down guiltily.

Niki glanced at his bandmate smugly. “Passion for learning, huh?”

“Shut up,” Heeseung muttered.

“So what’s your plan for getting your spot in the program back?” Jay chirped.

Sunoo narrowed his eyes. “Were you three eavesdropping?”

“If you could literally walk through walls, you would too,” Niki said casually, without a hint of remorse. Sunoo rolled his eyes, giving up.

“I already asked my teacher if I can re-audition,” he told them. “She said I’ll have to wait it out a semester.”

“Ah see, that was your first mistake,” Heeseung said knowingly.

Sunoo blinked at him. “What was?”

“ _Asking_ ,” he clarified. “How do you think we booked all our gigs? Nobody would give us the time of day. We had to fight for it, demand it,” Heeseung said vivaciously. “You don’t get anywhere by asking for permission.”

“Yeah, how do you think we got into your room?” Niki remarked.

“Okay, maybe _that_ we should get permission for,” Heeseung said hastily, throwing a nervous glance at Sunoo. He was frowning contemplatively.

“But what do I do?” He asked. “Auditions are already over.”

“Don’t ask your teacher for a chance to audition,” Jay said with a grin. “Audition for her, and _then_ ask, ‘Now how can you say no to me?’”

“I don’t know if I have the level of confidence to pull that off,” Sunoo said, laughing.

“You should,” Heeseung told him, looking at him seriously. Sunoo’s breath caught as he met the ghost’s earnest gaze. “You’re amazing, Sunoo.”

\---

When Sunoo stormed into the music room, ready to give his music teacher the performance of her life, he was surprised to find it empty save for one person, who was decidedly not her.

“Don't wanna be, all by myself, anyMOREEE!!” The boy half sang, half yelled, as he lay draped over two chairs, strumming a ukelele in an equally pitchy manner.

Sunoo cringed, bringing his hands up over his ears. “What the hell, Jungwon? You can sing a million times better than that.”

Jungwon looked up at him, unsurprised to see him standing there. “When I’m alone, I don’t sing to be in tune,” he said sagely, “I sing from the soul.”

“Your soul must be in agony,” Sunoo muttered, taking a seat beside his drunkenly behaving friend.

Jungwon sat up suddenly. “It _is!_ ” he cried. “My soul is in agony because my best friend-”

“Before you finish that sentence,” Sunoo cut him off. “I’m going to reclaim my spot in the program, no matter what it takes,” he said firmly. Jungwon brightened. “So pull yourself together.”

Jungwon sat up all the way and looked at him soberly. “How can I be of service?”

“Tell me where our teacher is.”

—

Sunoo had told Jay that he didn’t think he had enough confidence to perform in front of his teacher.

Whom he had just located per Jungwon’s information.

At the school rally.

This he _definitely_ didn’t have the confidence for.

He watched in a anxious daze as various performers came and went. First, the cheerleading squad, then the dance team, and then various singing and instrumental acts by his fellow classmates. There was no way he could do this.

“Watcha watching?” Jay appeared beside him. Sunoo didn’t even jump this time. Apparently he had acclimated to having three ghosts as friends.

“My music teacher is somewhere in this audience,” he murmured back.

“Well what are you waiting for?” Heeseung said. “Get up there.”

“I’m not even scheduled to perform,” he protested. Without looking, Sunoo knew that the ghost was probably rolling his eyes at him.

“What did I tell you? Don’t ask. Just do,” Heeseung reminded him. The sound of the principal speaking into the mic pulled both of their attention back to the stage. Sunoo’s heart sank.

“She’s wrapping up,” he said glumly. “It’s too late. The rally is over.”

Niki tapped Sunoo on the shoulder, then pointed towards the stage. “There’s a piano right there, calling your name,” he said, sounding surprisingly encouraging. Sunoo hesitated, then ran over and sat down.

The students were slowly making their way down from the bleachers now. He could see his teacher among the crowd beginning to filter out of the gym. It was now or never.

He tentatively placed his hands on the keys and began to play the opening chords. Nobody seemed to hear him. He tried to play louder, just enough to reach the one person who’s decision his fate relied upon. It was no use.

“EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR KIM SUNOO!!!” Jungwon’s voice boomed across the room. Hundreds of heads turned in confusion. Sunoo almost laughed out loud. His crazy, hyper friend had somehow secured a microphone.

Everyone’s eyes were on him now, watching him in curiosity. He began again from the beginning, the sound of the piano finally carrying across the gym. He pulled the mic on the stand next to him closer to his mouth, and began to sing.

Slowly, as if drawn in like a magnet, the crowd of people retreated from the door, and moved closer towards him. The song picked up tempo and Sunoo searched in the crowd for Heeseung, wondering what the boy thought of his success in demanding the stage. To his surprise, none of the three ghosts were anywhere to be seen.

Suddenly, the sound of a heavy bass came in, thrumming like a living breathing thing, and the musical whine of an electric guitar joined the mix. Sunoo looked behind him with wide eyes at Jay and Heeseung, who were playing along with him and grinning wildly.

There was an audible collective gasp from the audience, and Sunoo looked out curiously, wondering what had provoked the reaction. But their gaze was no longer fixed on him, but somewhere just past his shoulder.

The sound of drums came crashing in, lifting the song to new heights, and another gasp came from the crowd, before they erupted into roaring cheers. Sunoo struggled to compose himself and continued singing, but looked back at the band in confusion.

“Are they… looking at us?” Jay asked in disbelief, coming over to stand close enough so Heeseung could hear him. 

“Just go with it,” Heeseung replied, beaming ear to ear. Jay laughed hysterically, and flung himself onto his knees, pouring everything into the music. He looked out at the people watching, and his eyes landed on a familiar face.

It was the boy from earlier, the one who had ran into Sunoo’s yard, screaming like a madman. The boy that Jay had declared to be his soulmate. He threw a wink at him. Jungwon’s eyes widened and he blushed.

Sunoo decided that taking advice from seasoned ghost musicians was the best thing he had ever done. He had demanded instead of asked, and he was being seen. Somehow, miraculously, they were all being seen.

He stood up from the piano, the instrumental now being taken care of by the band, and strode across the stage. He heard Jungwon screaming his name. He made his way over to Heeseung, who smiled and leaned over. Together they sang into the microphone, Heeseung’s voice joining his. Their eyes met as they sang the last few lines of the song, their faces close.

The drums receded, the guitar died away, and their voices faded into the air as their performance came to an end. The applause was deafening. Sunoo giddily turned around, and together with Jay, Heeseung, and Niki, they gave their final bow.

And then, in front of the entire school, the band who had performed alongside Sunoo vanished before everyone's eyes, as quickly as they had appeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've said it before, and I'll say it again- the main ship may change, but Jaywon is canon in every universe :3

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments are appreciated and pls lemme know if I should continue this <3
> 
> I really liked the Netflix show and had an urge to write an enhypen AU based off it, but if it isn't the vibe then I can always write somethin else for our mint boys :3


End file.
